


The Next Step

by blessedharlot



Series: Still Not Friends [2]
Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Artistic cutting, Consensual Non-Consent, Knife Play, M/M, Mind Fuck, Rough Sex, but not that artistic bc he keeps squirming, cheap hotel room, choking blow job, clothes cut off, suggestion of sex with strangers, when no doesnt mean no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 22:00:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18646927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessedharlot/pseuds/blessedharlot
Summary: Khalila and Dario's arrangement with Jess and Morgan continues... with Khalila sending Jess on a special mission.





	The Next Step

**Author's Note:**

> There's a safe word involved so I'm not marking this noncon, but theres a fair bit of saying no.

Magdeburg was a beautiful city, especially on nights like this one, when stars twinkled and the streets still shimmered from a recent rainshower. Jess was certain he’d enjoy seeing some of the city’s historical sites… eventually. Not today. 

First he had to accomplish what he really came to Magdeburg to do. Which was Dario.

Jess had his marching orders straight from Khalila, complete with Dario’s conference itinerary and a few agreed-upon protocols for safety. This was a new element of their arrangement, and Jess took it very seriously. Not everything he had planned was his most natural style of sexual activity, but he did enjoy giving someone what they wanted. He had certainly appreciated the insights and insider information Khalila had given him, especially since Dario had no idea Jess was here, or what awaited the two of them.

So Jess’ first step was to wait on a nondescript German street. It was on the path between the Serapeum where the conference was being held, and the hotel visiting Scholars would use. Jess was also very near an alley he’d carefully chosen and scouted -- not that he’d tell Dario that. 

Jess’ next step was to be patient. He was very good at this sort of patience.

It was a pleasant enough evening to bring a steady flow of people out to enjoy themselves. He could spot the Scholars in the flow of traffic, even if they’d taken off their robes. They were still recognizable, not just for the glint on their wrist or their wrinkled business wear, but for the certain kind of confidence and fatigue in their eyes, having just left meet-and-greets and paper presentations and committee meetings and heady lectures on the historical ramifications of the last three years of new worldwide legislation.

The thought of doing literally anything in the Historia division gave Jess a splitting headache. But it kept Dario happy enough, and he was thriving and climbing his own career ladder admirably.

Jess soon spotted him, a task made easier by Dario’s putting on a swagger he hadn’t naturally carried since their postulancy days. It was a security measure on an unfamiliar street, Jess assumed. Perhaps even an unconscious choice. Even away from home, Dario’s white linen shirt was wrinkle-free. His trousers were of the tight style Dario still favored, which showed off his assets quite pleasantly.

He still wore his robe, this late into the evening. Most Scholars had a fondness for the robe they worked so hard for, but it was indeed possible that the Scholars of Christopher Wolfe’s postulant class were a bit more attached to theirs than was the average.

Jess’ next step: get Dario into position to begin.

“Dario!” Jess called out, still casually holding up one end of the dark florist storefront. It was the last decently lit spot he could reach without pulling even with the chosen alleyway.

Dario pulled himself out of a strolling reverie, blinked and smiled as he spotted Jess. Jess waved, but didn’t move his feet yet.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Dario said, as he jogged close. “In for the conference?”

“Here for some folks attending the conference,” Jess replied. “Trying to insert myself into some promising situations.”

Jess kept his back glued to the storefront until Dario was within arm’s reach, before pivoting and matching his stride… presumably toward the hotel. Jess scanned the street and no one was near enough to witness much.

“You’d be bored by most of what I’ve heard thus far,” Dario said. “But there’s a Scholar you should-”

Three steps later, Jess quietly grabbed Dario’s arm hard enough to bruise and yanked hard, throwing him into the alleyway and striding in behind him. 

Dario just barely kept his feet as he skidded across the slick pavement. He was startled enough to be speechless for an instant, looking around the alleyway in confusion, then spun around and glared.

“Que demonios?”

Jess gripped Dario’s hair hard, and dragged him face first into the closest dark nook. The building’s shape provided a few small alcoves… but they were shallow, too shallow for complete cover. And Dario had probably noticed that.

Jess kept one hand in Dario’s hair, and used another to shove Dario’s hip against the wall.

“Jesucristo, Jess! Here?”

“Your wife sent me with some very… meticulous… instructions,” Jess hissed in his ear.

Dario moaned at Jess’ use of the word ‘meticulous.’ It was code. It meant don’t ask questions, do as you’re told.

Dario was already shivering in Jess’ hands. _This will be fun_ , Jess thought.

He let Dario wonder what came next as he ran his hands over Dario’s clothes, roughly gripping his shoulders, his flank, his ass. Dario’s fingertips were worrying the mortar in the brick wall holding him in place.

Jess pulled a switchblade from his belt, brought it close to Dario’s ear - into his peripheral vision - and flicked it open. That earned Jess a rather delicious whimper.

“Did she…” Dario gasped. “Did she tell you the ceasecode?” 

Dario had one single word he could use to stop what was going on. It was the only form of consent he had in such circumstances. Other than stopping at that word, Jess knew he could do anything to Dario that he wanted to, anything that Khalila had approved. Which left Jess a lot of leeway.

“Do you want her to have told me?” Jess whispered back.

Dario blew a ragged sigh into the brick at his lips. “Mierda,” he said. “Yo no se.”

Jess giggled. Then he reached around for Dario’s cock, and found he was already hard as stone.

“She told me,” Jess said coldly. “So you can scream for help all you want, if that’s your preference. It’ll just bring more of your colleagues running to find you compromised.”

Dario looked to be trying to calm his breathing as Jess wrapped an arm around Dario’s shoulder and pulled him off the wall. He raised the knife toward Dario’s neck, then slid into the placket of his shirt, easily slicing the buttons off and baring his chest. 

“Scholar!”

A voice rang from the nearby street, and Dario shuddered and choked back a cry.

Quick footsteps approached, then receded. Multiple voices faded down the street.

 _Good_ , Jess thought. Next step: up the risk.

Jess spun Dario around to face him, and gave him his coldest stare, as he pressed the knife to the side of his neck. He didn’t press hard… the night air was cool enough for the blade’s temperature to do some of Jess’ work for him. And he did in fact watch Dario flinch just a little as the cool metal gave him an instant of a sharp sting. 

“No,” Dario murmured quietly, eyes averted. “No, no, no.”

As Jess glided the blade down Dario’s collarbone, he turned his wrist to trace just the point of it in a pattern softly but sharply down Dario’s chest. He left a pale pink trail where he’d touched Dario’s flesh.

Dario watched Jess’ face now, his eyes wide and alarmed. Tongue licking his lips greedily. 

Jess grabbed Dario by his hair again and yanked him down to his knees on the hard, wet stones.

“Get to work,” Jess said hoarsely, thumbing the blade handle in one hand and keeping hold of Dario’s curls with the other.

Dario fumbled quietly for Jess’ belt, and unfastened his fly. He reached in and pulled Jess’ straining erection out, and immediately put it in his mouth.

Jess had no idea how far Dario had planned to take him in, but Jess made the decision with one swift shove of his hand, and held Dario unbreathing on his cock until he made a choking cry, and then a second one.

Jess released Dario’s head, and Dario looked up at him with a dark, hungry look.

Dario’s pants were possibly ruined in more ways than one now, Jess thought.

Jess grabbed Dario’s head and used his warm, wet mouth to arouse himself with, sinking his shaft in deeply, again and again.

Already disoriented, Dario groped futilely at Jess hips and ass, clutching him close. He was working so hard to swallow Jess that he was soon gulping for air and groaning as he did so.

There was no one close to hear. Jess pulled him off anyway.

“Shut up, Dario,” he whispered. Jess put away the blade and jerked him to his feet.

Next step, more people. The street at the other end of the alley had more pedestrian traffic. And a coffee shop with a patio.

An empty vendor stall obscured half of the entrance to the alley here. Carriages rattled down the central street, and pedestrians clattered, with the muffled din of the cafe kitchen wafting in an extra hum in the air as well. Jess felt they had the cover here to make a few small sounds that would be hidden from the crowd… the scuffle of boots pressing into lurid action. The low clap of skin carefully striking bare skin. That sort of thing.

They wouldn't have much more cover than that, not this close to the corner of the cafe patio.

Jess had yanked Dario down to the shadows immediately behind the vendor stand, unseen by the crowd around the corner. Every limb of Dario’s was stiff and tense with shock and danger.

“Stay very still,” Jess quietly demanded, and he reached in close. With Dario’s eyes wider than Jess had ever seen, Jess slipped the blade into Dario’s pants. He felt Dario’s stomach trembling as his eyes flashed concern, and then Jess tugged. The blade sliced through the fabric like it was water, and the slit loosened the pants from everywhere Jess needed access.

Dario was slow and clumsy as Jess spun him, spread his legs and shoved his hips into place. But when Jess crushed the robe up out of the way and pressed his cock into Dario’s ass, it was clear Dario had been eagerly anticipating this turn of events. That eagerness would work out in Dario’s favor, since Jess wasn't using any lubrication.

“The Historia Magnus is very pleased,” someone offered loudly from the cafe patio, “I think the whole project is going swimmingly.”

Jess quickly started sharp thrusts to keep Dario off-balance, his arms and shoulders jammed awkwardly against the stone wall as he tried to brace himself against Jess’ thrusts. Faint light found the coppery tones of Dario’s bared hip and ass, a sight Jess could certainly enjoy

“-with widespread use of translation tags throughout the country, we may be able to-”

Jess pleased himself, from short strokes pulling the head of his cock nearly free, to pressing into Dario up to the hilt. All of it felt exhilarating. Dario, Jess imagined, was busy trying not to scream.

“The Artifex is insisting, so we’ll have to make it work, though I'm not at all sure -”

Jess let his awareness thin down to the space around them, and to his cock pumping into Dario.

“Not enough time, surely, but you know how fast everything goes these days-”

Jess sunk in deeper, switching his steering arm from Dario’s hip to his shoulder. He reached his hand toward Dario’s mouth, on the chance he might need a gag. Dario found two fingers and swallowed them hungrily.

“-a whole century, well you know what security’s been like there-”

For a split second Jess let go of caring. He pounded into Dario with no thought for his comfort, held him where Jess needed him to be, reached into him as far as Jess wanted.

Then he snapped back and remembered his surroundings, and paused a moment to breathe.

“Scholar Seif-Santiago has a wealth of material on this. Even if she’s not in on the project, she should be made aware-”

There was one last key resource for Jess in this alley -- probably the most important one, truth be told. This had just been foreplay.

The next step required more privacy.

Jess pulled out as suddenly as he’d started, hoping to still keep Dario on his toes, then put his erection away. When he curled around Dario's half-crumpled form, he found ragged breathing and a faraway look in his eyes. When Dario realized Jess was close, he lifted his chin hungrily, reaching for a kiss.

Jess thrust a tongue into Dario's mouth and felt his own cheeks warm with Dario's now feverish state. Jess bundled up Dario in his own tattered clothes best he could, and secreted him away down a dark side passage. 

The route was only a couple of nearly deserted blocks long to reach the suitably shabby place where Jess had already rented a room. Torn awning, shoddy sign, drunks and escorts for hire holding up the wall outside.

Jess hauled Dario through the rundown hotel lobby as though he was drunk... which wasn't far from the truth. They passed two other men and the woman entertaining both of them.

The two men looked for all the world like off-duty High Garda… the classic taut muscular shape, the military haircut, the economy of movement even as they staggered a bit. Jess gave them the most forgettable look he could manage as they passed one another. But as Jess gained the hallway, he stopped and looked at Dario until Dario stared back.

Then Jess stared meaningfully at the now distracted men, and looked back at Dario. Then he grinned.

Dario’s jaw dropped, then his Adam’s apple worked to swallow down the rush of fear and arousal clear on his face. 

Jess gave him an enjoyable squint, then took him down the hall.

He unceremoniously dumped Dario's weight inside the room and turned around to secure the door. Jess was then gifted with the sound Dario made as he took in the room… somewhere between a scoff and a wretch.

The room was barebones when Jess had been given it - a small thin mattress on an unadorned metal frame, sad curtains, one small, cheap desk. 

For that extra touch, Jess had removed the curtains that obstructed the view of the brick wall outside. He'd also stripped everything off the mattress to lay it bare.

As Dario stood gaping at the room, his grip on his clothes had slipped. Jess came up behind him and removed his robe - now dampened around the knees - and tossed it into the desk nearby.

Then he pulled the switchblade back out, and started slicing into Dario’s tight shirt cuffs and down his pant legs. Jess was willing to bet the destruction of a good pair of trousers went as far as the blade did in playing with Dario’s emotions.

“Jess,” Dario said, confused. “Jess!”

He grabbed Dario by the chin, hard, and brought his face in close.

“Do you have a ceasecode to give me?” Jess demanded.

Dario inhaled sharply, then shook his head best he could. “No-”

“Then shut up,” Jess said. He brought the knife to Dario’s neck again, and reached around him to slice his shirt down the back.

He brushed the scraps of shirt off, and shoved Dario’s pants around his ankles as he pushed him toward the bed.

Dario undressed never failed to give Jess pause. But these days… flawless copper skin, every contour now sculpted by Dario’s gymnasium hobby, hair groomed to accentuate his long chiseled lines. Nude Dario was an awe-inspiring experience.

Next step: increase the sensation.

“Ohh,” Jess groused, looking at Dario’s chest. “My other marks are already gone. I didn’t press hard enough.”

“Jesucristo,” Dario whispered. “Are you… are you sure-”

“Lay down,” Jess ordered.

Dario slowly curled down to sit on the bed, then carefully snaked his legs up to lay flat. He looked terribly vulnerable.

It was then that Dario noticed the handcuffs.

Jess had fastened a pair of cuffs to either end of the frame of the bed. These were the new cuffs favored by High Garda for ordinary use - thin, lightweight, steel alloy restraints. Entirely manual, no Obscurist tracking them. They would eventually abrade, but it took a lot longer than it did with the old heavy iron bonds. 

They would not be comfortable.

Dario had arched back to adjust himself on the mattress, and saw the glint above his head. He froze in place for a moment. Then he shuddered, hard. He locked eyes with Jess, eyes huge again. 

He started to reach toward the cuffs with both hands, then thought better of it. Then he looked deferentially at Jess.

“Eager?” Jess asked.

Dario’s eyes darted like he couldn’t decide on the correct answer to the question.

“That might be a mistake,” Jess said. He pressed Dario onto his stomach, climbed on top of him, and one by one racheted his wrists into place, together above his head.

Jess loomed over him and sat still and silent for a moment, listening to Dario’s breathing speed up again.

“Are you sure you really know me as well as you think you do?” Jess asked in a quiet, neutral voice.

Jess could tell Dario aimed for a look of defiance over his shoulder, but his breath hitched and his words continued to fail him.

Jess pulled the switchblade back out, slowly laid it against Dario’s skin, near his shoulderblade, then thought better of it.

“Hang on, this isn’t a good carving knife.” Jess stabbed the blade into the mattress, hilt erect and quivering between Dario’s head and wrist.

“Jesus, Jess!" Dario sounded genuinely worried. "Stop. Stop!"

Jess lifted Dario’s head by the hair and savored using his most businesslike voice. "If you are not submitting the code word provided to you, then what you have to say is none of my concern." He threw his head back down.

Dario let out a long, gutteral groan into the mattress. 

Jess yanked the longer switchblade free and tossed it away to clatter on the floor. To replace it, Jess pulled something else from his pocket, removed it from protective layers of linen, and held it in front of Dario’s face where the switchblade had been.

It was a pocket scalpel, a small disposable blade that folded up like a straight razor. Every Medica field kit had one, so it should be immediately recognizable to Dario.

It apparently was, because he responded to the sight of it by bucking away and yanking his hands against the restraints… neither of which got him very far. When that didn’t work, he yelled into the mattress again.

“Kiss the handle,” Jess said.

“What?” he cried.

“I thought I was being pretty self-explanatory.”

“What’s it for?”

“For carving into your beautiful ass. Kiss it.”

Dario’s shoulders squeezed tight together, and he grunted, unmoving.

“Kiss it, or we really do stop,” Jess warned. “It’s up to you.”

Dario gulped and craned forward without hesitation this time, and pressed his lips to the handle. He lingered there, clearly trying to find some level of control over his breathing and only meeting partial success. Finally, he dragged his head back and pressed his forehead to the mattress.

“Good.” Jess said cheerfully.

“Stop,” Dario said.

“No,” Jess said just as cheerfully.

Jess reached into another pocket and pulled out the other safety supply he’d brought - an antiseptic wipe in a small pouch. In one swift move he opened it, tossed the pouch to the floor and pressed the little towel to Dario’s ass cheek… which sent Dario yelping and flinching hard, nearly shoving Jess off of him.

“That was only alcohol,” Jess laughed. “But this amount of mobility just won’t do.”

Jess tilted the whimpering Dario so he lay on his hip, and left the alcohol-soaked towelette in place. From there, Jess gripped Dario’s lower ankle, and cuffed it with the the second, waiting pair of restraints at the other end of the bed. 

Dario now had three limbs immobilized. Jess thought the fourth one being free might come in handy.

“Now,” Jess said enthusiastically. 

Jess locked his legs around Dario’s free leg, and settled in comfortably, with Dario’s ass cheek positioned as a canvas. He resisted the temptation to bite the freshly sanitized skin, a show of self-discipline which took a long, in-drawn breath to accomplish.

Instead, he arranged the scalpel into its cutting form, and quickly and deftly made a shallow slice about two inches long into Dario’s skin.

One small measure of the cut welled up a heavy drop of blood, just as Dario processed the sensation and let out a short yowl.

“Yes. These blades are fine enough, it takes a moment for the sensation to sharpen into that sting one wants, doesn’t it?”

Dario swallowed a grunt.

“Agreed. It will shorten healing time, but it’s not the pain it could be. Oh well.”

He made three quick, short strokes in quick succession. By the third, Dario had sucked air through his teeth and was panting.

“Stop,” Dario said.

“Too late.”

“No, stop.”

“Not the magic word.”

“St-stop,” he protested weakly.

"Shut up. And stop squirming. It’s making my work look amateurish."

Dario let out a small sob, and shivered. Jess noticed the top half of him shivered harder than the bottom half. He was trying to follow orders. When Dario strained to look behind him, Jess saw how Dario’s curls had plastered down the entire edge of his face. He was currently chewing his bottom lip. It was a pretty picture.

Jess worked a bit more, and Dario kept still. Jess had a curved stroke to make now, and focused his attention on completing it without cutting deeper than he wanted. He completed the careful stroke, and repositioned his arm for a moment to look at his handiwork. 

At Jess shifting position, Dario let loose a violent shuddering twitch he’d held as long as he could, then settled back into stillness.

Jess chose that point to wipe down his work with the alcohol wipe. Dario shrieked.

“Oh,” Jess said. “That was alcohol on open skin. That might have stung a bit.”

Dario shuddered again.

“Dario,” Jess warned. “Quit squirming, this is important.”

Jess made six quick short strokes one right after another. Dario whimpered through the whole thing, but didn’t move.

“Not bad.” Jess massaged Dario’s other ass cheek firmly for a moment, while examining his writing. “Almost done, Dario. Hang on.”

“What are you making?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Explain now.”

“Who do you think is in charge here?”

“Please explain.”

“You won’t be listening.”

“I will!”

“Hush.”

A minute later, Jess had finished the last few curves he needed, and looked up to notice Dario’s shoulders were fairly relaxed, and Dario’s was breathing heavily, but steadily.

“There we are,” Jess said. “All done.”

He wiped it again with the wipe. Dario sucked air in again, but lay still and didn’t make another sound.

“You know, it occurs to me,” Jess pretended to only now notice, “The location I chose for this…”

Jess moved off of Dario’s free leg, and swung it up to bend toward his stomach. Dario moaned at the skin stretching into the new position.

“Hunh,” Jess said. “I wonder what happens if I fuck you like this.”

Dario gasped and squirmed, his movements leading immediately to more whimpered reactions.

“Yes,” Jess assessed. “ I do think we need to try this.”

He hopped off the bed to put the blade aside carefully, then climbed back into position, pulled his cock back out of his pants, and unceremoniously thrust back into Dario’s ass.

Dario gave a deep grunt through bared teeth. Jess began a not-at-all leisurely pace of pressing into Dario far enough to brush the cuts on his ass cheek with every thrust. And in between Dario’s whimpers, Jess heard him muttering long stream of Spanish under his breath, including phrases Jess was sure called his parentage into question.

“Stop, stop, stop…” Dario began timing his protests to match Jess’ rhythm. 

Jess kept fucking him, and Dario’s cries got louder, with more force behind them, sounding for all the word like encouragement to keep fucking him.

There was then a pounding knock on the door.

Jess paused. This was not part of the plan. He gave himself a second to catch his breath and decide what to do.

The pounding knock came again. Jess pulled out, fastened up his pants and went to investigate.

“Stay there, Dario,” Jess said with a smile.

Jess barely heard a soft whisper from him. “Vete a la mierda,” Dario mumbled.

When Jess carefully cracked the door, he found one of the two probable High Garda gentlemen standing there, wavering slightly.

“Hallo,” the man said, with a German accent. Several steps behind him was his friend. Both looked attractive, unthreatening, and highly inebriated.

“Hey, it’s you!” Jess smiled. “Uh, Guten Abend?”

The man nodded.

Jess turned to Dario. “It’s the gentlemen we passed downstairs.”

Jess heard a sort of strangled sound from the bed behind him as he turned back toward the men in the hall.

The one at the door leaned in slightly conspiratorially, and spoke in German a bit too rapidly for Jess’ best attempts at translating. He was pretty sure, though, that there was a good-natured invitation to drinking included.

“Well,” Jess turned back around towards Dario and spoke louder. “It’s a tempting offer…”

Dario’s back arched in response as Jess watched him from the door.

“I think we’re in for the night, tho,” Jess offered the man. “Uhm, Bettziet. Schlafen.”

“Ah,” said the man.

“Danke,” Jess said. “Danke sehr.”

The men waved congenially and wandered away down the hall.

Jess closed and locked the door. He returned to a limp Dario, flat on his back, who now had cum spilled all over his belly.

“Well, you had a good time in my absence,” Jess marveled. 

Dario looked up at Jess glassy-eyed, vulnerable, with a certain soft slackness to the muscles of his face. It was an intoxicating look. And while Jess appreciated it, he wasn’t sure how far he trusted himself with it. Khalila had warned him about this.

“Maybe you’re about done,” Jess said with a smile. “Thoroughly roasted, perhaps?”

Jess reached for the indentation on the bed frame where he’d stashed the key to the cuffs, and unlocked Dario’s ankle. From there, he leaned across Dario to reach his wrists. 

He got one hand uncuffed, and Dario immediately put the free hand in Jess’ hair, delicately. He rushed to get his lips on Jess, in what Jess thought would be a kiss that hurt. But even if he’d intended it, Dario had no more energy left to bruise with. Instead, it was a long, slow caress of tongues.

Jess lost himself in the kiss for an instant. Dario’s tongue had a way of commanding attention, even when fatigued. 

But no. This was not the next step. Eventually, Jess extricated himself and freed Dario’s other wrist. He laid himself down next to Dario - on the side that wouldn’t require him to lay on his cuts - and took his limp form into his arms. Dario snuggled his head onto Jess’ chest. They lay there several minutes while Jess stroked Dario’s hair and let him lay still. Khalila said this was always a good place to start.

Dario was still at first, but soon got cuddlier. He reached up to stroke Jess’ cheek and hair, and absently ran his hands all over Jess… eventually noticing that Jess still had an erection bulging in his trousers. 

Dario looked up to meet Jess’ eyes. Clearly too tired to do anything else, even if he wanted to, Dario began running his hand up and down the clothed bulge of Jess’ cock. When Jess closed his eyes and murmured approvingly, Dario reached into his pants without a word and began expert strokes. 

Jess held Dario close, arm tight around his waist, and leaned over to smell the slight scent of gardenia and spice that always lingered in Dario’s hair. It wasn’t long before Jess was making his own mess across his stomach. Dario reached for some fabric nearby - possibly part of his shredded shirt - and mopped up a bit.

“Oh,” Jess said. “Khalila has a message for you.”

Dario turned to look at him with a slightly sharper gaze.

“She says,” Jess replied, “‘Good boy’”.

Dario shuddered in Jess’ arms and clung to him more tightly.

That really seemed to do it for Dario, Jess thought. It wouldn’t have occurred to Jess, but it was something to keep in mind.

They had lay quiet and still against each other for some time, when Dario spoke without preamble. 

“Cancion,” he said.

Jess turned his undivided attention to Dario immediately, and pulled his hands off of him.

“Am I doing something I should stop doing?” Jess asked, puzzled.

“No. I just wanted to say it for you.” Dario snuggled in closer. 

Jess put his arms back around him and grinned.

A moment later, Dario started giggling. He reached a hand up to trail his fingers across Jess’ chest, and didn’t stop giggling.

“Is this normal?” Jess asked. “Or should I be offended?”

Dario put on an exaggerated English accent. “‘Just how well do you know me?’” He laughed. “Jess.”

Jess smiled. “I know, I know!” He ran his fingers through Dario’s hair. “I figured I had one good scare I could land on you, at best. Keep you guessing just how low class and untrustworthy I am, before you came to your senses and realized I’m... actually a rather terrible sadist.”

“Well, my ass disagrees. But. If you insist you’re not, I assure you... I get my needs of that sort met elsewhere. You are... more than skilled at being Khalila’s delicious and occasional henchman.”

Jess laughed heartily at the description. “I’ll take it.”

“You’re also an idiot, thinking I wouldn’t trust you.”

Jess screwed up his mouth and gave Dario a look.

“I could still be very dangerous,” Jess said. “And damaging. You don’t know.”

Dario laughed.

“Alright, if you’re gonna be rude and foolish,” Jess said mildly, getting up and reaching for clothes. “We might as well leave this paradise and get back to our rooms.”

“Rooms?” Dario asked. “You don’t need a room, stay with me.”

“If you like. Oh, I do have fresh, intact clothes for you.”

“Where’s my robe?”

“I’ve got it here. I’ll... take it to the laundry tomorrow. Sorry.”

Dario giggled again, suddenly coherent, though slightly slurred. “Khalila’s certain that research would find the vast majority of robe laundering for Scholars who’ve had them three years or less is related to sexual activity.”

“I’d believe that,” Jess chuckled.

Jess held Dario upright as he put pants on, with only a minor wince. Then Jess held Dario’s shirt for him as he slowly threaded his arms into it. Jess began buttoning it for him, from the bottom.

Dario suddenly paused, brow gently furrowed. “One of these days, should I reciprocate?” he said thoughtfully. “The penetration. Or, do we keep with our current roles? I don’t know the etiquette here.”

Jess chuckled. “Me being on the receiving end of a cock is… tonally very different.”

“Well, now I’m intrigued,” Dario said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure it’s your thing.”

Dario smiled wickedly. “Hmm.”

“No no, nothing like that. You’d find it quite dull, I’m afraid.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

Jess had reached his top button, and met his eye. Dario attempted to square his shoulders, gazing at Jess with a goofy grin on his face.

Jess squinted at him. “What?”

“You like me.”

“Shut up.”

“You do,” he whispered, pulling him in by his shirt.

Lips met, and then tongues, tender and languorous. 

Dario pulled away, still in a partial daze, and ran his thumb lazily across Jess’ lower lip. Then his eyes suddenly got wide.

“Wait!” Dario said, pushing Jess to arms’ length. “What… did you write on me?”

Jess grinned. 

“I wrote the name of the person you belong to.”

For a second, Dario had a confused look on his face.

“Ohhhh,” Dario said. “If my ass doesn’t say ‘Khalila’, we’re both in all kinds of trouble.”

Jess stopped himself laughing by grabbing Dario’s face and kissing him again. All the heat and the comfort of all their history… there was nothing like kissing Dario.

Dario pulled away again, and smiled. Then he staggered slightly toward the door. 

“Take me to a shower before this next part,” Dario said. “I don’t have meetings tomorrow until noon.”

 _Yes, this arrangement might work_ , Jess thought to himself.


End file.
